Saturday, January 19, 2013

Yesterday The Toronto Star published details of the OSPCA investigation into Marineland. According to the article there is a required overhaul and seven orders for changes that need to take place so the theme park can avoid charges. The article led me to ask a simple question. Who can order an overhaul of the OSPCA? The government seems to have no interest in doing it so I'll give it a go. Here are my recommendations for orders to be placed on the OSPCA. Sure I could top seventy but let's stick with a simple seven. For Now.

1. Immediately separate from being a charity AND a policing authority. Even an Ikea monkey can see that these two initiatives are in direct conflict of one another.

2. Offer full disclosure. When an individual is charged with animal abuse by the OSPCA, that individual MUST be allowed to see all charges and documents in regard to the case. As it currently stands the OSPCA is NOT subject to freedom of information and a charged individual only discovers the exact charges when they appear in court or before a review board. How do they prepare a proper defense? They can't.

3. Become FULLY TRANSPARENT with the public. Remember last year's internal OSPCA memo detailing how the OSPCA should go about begging the government for more funding all the while blatantly hiding salaries within the organization?

4. Employees must come under external scrutiny as pertains to their conduct in investigations. OSPCA "agents" have broken into windows, euthanized pets without telling owners, killed over 100 healthy pets in their "care", refused to act for over 6 moths after a woman strangled a dog to death at Toronto Animal Services....the list goes on and on.

5. Properly train staff. OSPCA agents know not their ass from a hole in the ground. The latest example? OSPCA agent Renee Baker seizing several dogs from one family due to what she considered an unhealthy flea infestation, yet leaving behind a cat and two ferrets in that same unhealthy house. An OSPCA employee should be educated enough to know that dogs aren't the only animals that can get fleas.

6. Stop trying to profit off Ontario families. The OSPCA has made a habit of targeting lower income families. No charges or seizures in posh Rosedale folks. In another recent case one retired postal worker on a pension had her dogs seized because a couple of them had tarter on their teeth. As usual the OSPCA then kept the animals throughout its own investigation and charged the woman boarding fees for each and every day. It happens all the time and as is custom if someone can't pay the fees the animals are sold by the OSPCA. In those rare instances people tackle the OSPCA head on and regain custody of their animals, what severance does the organization offer them for having gone through such emotional distress? None. Instead those people will likely be retaliated against and recharged again for having proved the OSPCA wrong. They now get to live the rest of their lives in fear of continued stalking.

7. Immediately have upper management swallow their pride and step down. If this were a multinational charity and past decisions had resulted in governmental investigation, multiple lawsuits targeting abuses of power, and most important a severe drop in donations and operating budget due to public lack of faith in operations, what do you think would be the right course of action? Lance Armstrong anyone?

I've said it before and I'll continue to scream it until serious changes are made at the OSPCA. As long as the government sits on its ass and Ontarians blindly continue to donate to the OSPCA, we'll continuing to fund a rogue police in this province. Can you imagine the uproar if the OPP acted in such a fashion? But hey, they're just animals after all.....

Do you have any orders for the OSPCA? Comment below and tell us what they are.